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THE 



FALLS OF TAUGHANNOCK: 



CONTAINING A 



COMPLETE DESCRIPTION 



OF THIS THE 



piglj^si Jfall in tlje 3hh oi Itcfo-gorh. 



WITH HISTORICAL AND DESORIFTIVE SKETCHES. 



BY 



LEWIS HALSEY. 



ILLUSTRATED EY YIEWS OF THE PALLS. 




NEW-YORK : 

John A. Gray & Green, Printers, 16 and 18 Jacob Street. 



MDCCCLXVI. 

V 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1866, by 

LEWIS HALSEY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 
District of New-Yorli. 



eg 



TO 

. WILLIAM H. GOODWL\, D.D., 

REGENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW-YORK, 
THIS LITTLE VOLUME 

Is Sespecffulljj luscrilj^b. 

Mat it recall for him many Pleasant Memories op Boyhood! 



iisr D E X. 





Page 




Page 


Accidents, .... 


42 


Excavation of Chasm, 


43 


Ancient Fortifications, . 


. 57 


Extract from Poem, 


. 14 


Auburn, .... 


73 






Aurora, 


. 70 


Fall Xo. 2, ... 


44 






Falling Rocks, 


. 21 


Beardslej-, J. C, 


52 


Falls House, 


53 


Beautiful View, 


. 54 


Farmerville, . . . . 


. 71 


Bogart's Definition, . 


62 


Fight with Bear, 


29 


Bogart, W. H., 


. 63 


Formation of the Rock, 


. 81 


Breaking up of Ice, . 


36 


Fossils, .... 


. 82 


Byron's Velino, 


. 20 










Ganungueuguch, . 


. 71 


Canassatego, 


68 


Geology of Taughannock, . 


78 


Canassatego, Speech of. 


. 68 


Goodwin, George, . 


. 61 


Canoga, (Genogeh,) . 


70 


" Richard, . 


28 


Casts of Striae, 


. 84 


Goodwin's Point, . 


. 59 


Cataract House, . 


. 26, 37 


Gothic Door, 


22 


Caves, 


. 2S 


Gun Factory, the Old. . 


. 45 


Cayuga Bridge, (Wasguas,) 


73 






Cayuga Lake, 


.. 40 


Halseyville, . . . . 


. 75 


Cheever's Article, 


14 


Hamilton, Rev. D. H., 


56 


Civilization of Indians, 


. 59 


High Water, . . . , 


. 38 






Historical, .... 


56 


Dedication, 


5 






Delawares, tlie, 


. 68 


Indian Apple-Orchard, . 


. 60 


Devil's Punch Bowl, . 


43 


" Village, . 


69 


Dumont, W. B., . 


. 75 


Ithaca, 


. 70 


Dust Fall of Staubbach, . 


25 


Iroquois Confederacj', 


60 



IKDEX. 



Lady of the Mist, . 

Les Trois Sceurs, 

Lodi, 

Long Staircase, . 

Lower Ravine, 

Marsh's Point, . 
Means of Access, . 
Mecklinburgh, . 
Merrinian, Col. T. A., 



Page 
. 21 

50 
. 71 

17 
. 17 

40 
. 46 

71 
22 



Nameless Hermit of Taughannock, 26 
Name of Fall, . . . .61 



Ode to Taughannock, 

Parker's Poem, 
Perry City, 
Pictures of Falls, . 
Poetry of Taughannock, 
Pool below Fall, 
Powhatan, . 
Pratt's, .... 
Preface, 

Rainbow, 
Red Jacket, 

Senecayuga, . 



91 

93 
71 
87 

86 
21 

72 

71 

9 

21 
73 



Song of the Waterfall, 
Staubbach, 

Sullivan's Expedition, 
Sulphur Spring, 



Page 
86 

. 16 
59 

. 29 



Table Rock, .... 43 

Tammany, 67 

Taughannock, (an Indian Chief,) 69 

" Falls, Cayuga Lake, 65 

" by Moonlight, . 47 

" In Winter, . . 35 

" the River and Fall, 87 

Taughanic Falls, (Poem,) . . 93 

To Taughannock, ... 89 

Treraan, Abner, . . . .60 

Truinansburgh, .... 71 

TuUy Limestone, . . . .82 

Upper Ravine, .... 43 



View of Cayuga Lake, . 


. 39 


Views from Above, , 


52 


" " Ravine, 


. 55 


Waterburgh, 


74 


Welch's Account, . 


. 22 


Weyburn, Gecrge, 


29 


" Samuel, 


. 30 



PEEFAOE. 



The want of a clescrii^tion of and guide to the most 
lofty of the many cataracts of the State of.lS'ew-York, 
and one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world, 
has been felt by all who have ever visited Taughan- 
nock. 

This want the present publication aims to sujiply. 

If this Tribute to Taughannock shall be deemed an 
offering worthy of the theme by those to whom the 
Falls are familiar, and shall be the means of making 
this favored spot better known to the lovers of beau- 
tiful scenery, the design of the author will be accom- 
plished. 



TAUGHAE"]NrOCK 



To tlie true lover of Nature, uo spot is more at- 
tractive, no landscape more beautiful, than that 
adorned by her bountiful hand with waterfalls, and 
wild ravines, and stately forests. 

Unlike other and less favored landscapes, that 
which adds to its attractions the music and bril- 
liancy of cascades and cataracts is ever unfolding 
new beauties. But when a waterfall, whose vast 
height adds sublimity to its beauty, grand and 
gloomy gorges, and picturesque views of lake 
scenery unsurpassed outside of Switzerland, each, 
at the same time, present their peculiar attractions, 
the admiring traveler, delighted by the beauty and 
awed by the sublimity of the landscape, realizes 
that he has discovered one of the most favored 
haunts of nature. 

Such is the wild and varied scenery which turns 



12 TAUGH4.NN0CK. 

the attention of the traveler to Taughannock, and, 
as the fame of the fall spreads abroad, attracts each 
year a greater throng of visitors. 

Rich in romantic glens^ charming lakes, and 
magnificent cataracts, the Empire State may well 
be called the Switzerland of America. The most 
lofty, and, in man}^ respects, the most beautiful of 
her cataracts is Taughannock, situated on a small 
stream in Tompkins County, three fourths of a 
mile from Cayuga Lake, and ten miles from Ithaca. 

The stream, known as Halsey Creek* from the 
name of one of the first settlers upon its banks, is 
one of the largest of the watercourses which inter- 
sect the fertile farming lands lying between the 
twin lakes Cayuga and Seneca. Taking its rise in 
the highlands midway between them, it flows in an 
easterly course until at length it unites its waters 
with those of the calm Cavuo;a. 

Flowing with a gradual and gentle descent 
through a rich and flourishing country, its banks 
are dotted with numerous mills and manufacturino: 
establishments. 



* In our atlases and geographies we find the name thus given, but 
the stream should have the same name as the fall. 



TAUGHANNOCK. 13 

At tlie distance of a mile and a half from the 
lake it would appear that nature had determined to 
check the stream in its further progress by erecting 
an impassable barrier. This is a rocky ledge, rising 
some fifty or sixty feet directly in the path of the 
little river. But the stream, by long continued 
labor, beginning, perhaps, when darkness was yet 
upon the face of the deep, has succeeded in excavat- 
ing an enormous channel, from one hundred to four 
hundred feet in depth, and four hundred feet across 
at its lower extremity. Through this yawning 
chasm the victorious waters course triumphantly 
onward toward their goal beyond. 

This vast gorge, with its frowning cliffs and 
towering walls of granite, their grimness relieved 
here and there by a bouquet of evergreens, forms the 
ravine of Taughannock. 

Half a mile after entering this gorge, on account 
of a difference in the structure of the rock, while 
the height of the banks remain undiminished, the 
stream falls perpendicularly two hundred and fifteen 
feet into a rocky basin, thus forming a cataract more 
tlian fifty feet higher than I^iagara. 

The rock over which the water plunges projects 
in the center and is contracted on either side, form- 



li TAUGHANNOCK. 

ing a triangle wliicli measures some ninety feet 
across. 

The following jocular but nearly accurate de- 
scription of Taugliannock was published, several 
years ago, in " Gleason's Pictorial," a Boston maga- 
zine : 

" It lies about (I like to be particular) 

One mile from Lake Cayuga's western shore, 

On either side the rocks rise perpendicular 

Three hundred ninet}^ feet and something more ; 

And all the stream, diffused in drops orbicular. 
Descends m clouds and falling mists that pour 

Two hundred feet and ten, or nearly so. 

Before they form again the stream below." 

The following eloquent description of the ravine 
and falls was written by the celebrated author and 
orator, George B. Cheever, who visited them in 

1859: 

GEOKGE B. CHEEVEe's DESCRIPTION. 

" The Staubbach of Trumansburgh is worth 
going a great distance to see. 

" It is nearly a third higlier than any other 
cataract in our State. 

" At present it is the very perfection of beauty, 



TAUGHANNOCK. 15 

while the natural mountain gorge, midway in the 
progress of which it tumbles over the crags, is one 
of the grandest and most picturesque in the world 
out of Switzerland. It reminded me much of the 
lovely and romantic pass above Chiavenna, in the 
Italian Alps. The gorge is at least four hundred 
feet in depth, the mountain sides rising jagged and 
perpendicular, though with the green forests here 
and there clinging to their faces, trees apparently 
rooted in the rocks Avithout a particle of soil to 
nourish them, and declivities covered with luxuriant 
wild shrubbery from the top to the bottom of the 
gulf. Here and there the mighty crags advance 
half-way across the ravine, round and perfect as 
battlemented castles or solid piers, that at some 
distant age might have supported a stupendous 
natural bridge. At the bottom of the ravine and 
at the foot of the fall, looking up the great height, 
and watching the extremely graceful and beautiful 
descent of the spray, (for the water begins to break 
into spray almost at the moment when it begins its 
plunge over the precipice,) you feel that nowhere 
in the world can it be possible that a more perfectly 
beautiful waterfall can be in existence. 

" The jagged rock rift, through which the river 



16 TAUGHANNOCK. 

rolls before it makes tlie plunge, is some two liiin- 
drecl feet in depth, tlie rocky cliamiel becoming a 
triangle at the brink, and the water plunges some 
two hundred and twenty feet more to the bottom, 
wliere the ravine is upwards of fonr hundred feet 
perpendicular. The fall is, in truth, the Staubach 
of Switzerland most absolutely reproduced, and of 
concentrated beauty and grandeur. 

" When the stream is swollen almost to the ut- 
most capacity of the channel by autumnal rains, or 
a spring freshet, the beauty of the cataract changes 
into overwhelming sublimity. It is clothed with 
the majesty, grandeur, and thunder of ^N^iagara. 

" At present you miss the roar, the voice, the 
sound of many waters, the thunder shaking the 
earth ; because the volume of water is not deep 
enough to preserve itself consolidated down the 
dizzy height of a plunge so tremendous. The 
coquetting air takes the cataract by its curls on the 
very forehead of the crags, and tosses and frays it 
into millions of tiny, fleecy jets, and tangled, shin- 
ins: threads of diamonds and dewy lio-ht. 

" Each drop gives way to tlie temptation of a 
separate display, and with white wings, as of a 
thousand doves or albatrosses, the vision lights 



LOWER RAVINE. ' 17 

softly at the bottom of tlie gorge, with no more 
noise than the wind makes when it stirs the leaves 
of a mighty forest. 

" But when the volume of water is deep enough 
in its grand and gloomy channel, all this by-play of 
its forces is constrained and concentrated in a nnity 
of purpose and of plunge, and it rages and roars 
down in unceasing thunder as well as eternal foam. 
The sublimity then is almost terrific." 

LOWER RAVINE. 

To obtain the best view of the falls, it is neces- 
sary to descend to the bed of the ravine, and fol- 
low it npward until we stand at the foot of the 
majestic column of water, which towers two hun- 
dred feet above us. The wearisome descent of the 
steep stairway is forgotten in the enjoyment of the 
grand and beantiful scenery with which we are 
there surronnded. 

Leaving the Taughannock House, (which will be 
described hereafter,) we follow a path winding along 
the bank of the ravine nntil we arrive at a long, 
steep, and crooked flight of steps. This was built 
by the present proprietor of the Taughannock 



18 " LOWER RAVINE. 

House, in 1859, and is soon to be replaced by 
another and more substantial staircase. 

Clambering downward, remarking as we descend 
the course of a landslide which swept away a por- 
tion of the steps, we at length arrive at the bottom 
of the ravine. 

Here we find ourselves entering, apparently, the 
atmosphere of another climate. The ravine, al- 
though from two hundred to four hundred feet in 
width, is shut in by walls so lofty that, except at 
midday, a large portion of its bed is untouched by 
the rays of the sun. The air, delightfully cool, 
fragrant with the perfume of wild roses, and vocal 
Avith the music of sweetly murmuring waters, 
seems to instill new life and vis^or into our veins. 
Venerable forest-trees overshadow us with their 
rich and variegated foliage, and tower upward in a 
vain endeavor to catch a glimpse of the rising and 
setting sun. Creeping vines twine luxuriantly 
around and above us. Brilliant flowers and hand- 
some mosses are seen on every side. By a winding 
path, we advance toward the Great Fall, now, for a 
moment, threading tlie thick mazes of the over- 
shadowing forest of evergreens ; now, as we pass 
an opening, delaying to gaze upward at the Lilipu- 



LOWER RAVINE. 19 

tian specimens of humanity on the bank above, 
nnable to recognize them as our friends who are 
watching our onward progress ; now, reposing be- 
neath the sheltering branches, seated npon the fall- 
en trunk of a forest tree. From time to time, we 
cross, on rustic bridges, the stream which meanders 
through the charming ravine as if conscious of its 
beauties, and unwilling to bid them a final farewell. 
At leno;th a sudden curve in the banks brings us 
unexpectedly in full view of the Great Fall. Here 
the chasm widens, and the more lofty walls form a 
spacious amphitheatre. On either side the granite 
masses tower majestically upward, and seem to 
shut us in by an impassable barrier. Before us, 
from the frowning cliff hundreds of feet in height, 
tlie mad waters take their terrible leap. The 
mighty wliite column seems clothed with awe-in- 
spiring grandeur. The water as it approaches the 
edge of the fall is of a deep green color ; as soon 
as it leavesthe edge it spangles into a thousand 
transparent shapes, then, mixing and commingling, 
it is dashed into clouds of snowy foam, and de- 
scends mists to the depths below. 

We never became wearied with gazing upon tlie 
grand and beautiful picture vxdiich looms up so 



20 LOWER RAVINE. 

majesticallj before us. We are continually dis- 
covering new attractions. We clamber up the 
steep bank to view the picture from another stand- 
point. Kow we decide in favor of a perspective 
view ; now we advance, through a storm of misty 
rain, to the very face of the fall. Everywhere we 
are delighted. Everywhere we are imjDressed by 
the beauty and sublimity of the scene before us. 

We recall Byron's unrivaled description of Ye- 
lino : 

" The roar of waters ! — from the headlong height 
[Taughannock] cleaves the wave-worn precipice ; 

The fall of waters ! rapid as the light 

The flashing mass foams, shaking the abyss : 

The hell of waters ! where they howl and hiss, 
And boil in endless torture ; while the sweat 

Of their great agony, wrung out from this 

Their Phlegethon, curled round the rocks of jet 
That gird the gulf around, in pitiless horror set, 

"And mounts in spray the skies, and thence again 
Returns in an unceasing shower, which round. 

With its unemptied cloud of gentle rain, 
Is an eternal April to the ground. 

Making it all one emerald : — how profound 
The gulf! and how the giant element 



THE RAINBOW. 21 

From rock to rock leaps with delirious bound, 

Crushing the cliffs, which downward worn and rent 
With his fierce footsteps, yield in chasms a fearful rent." 

THE RAINBOW. 

" Here," writes a visitor, ■ ' we saw distinctly the 
prismatic colors of the rainbow, mingled with the 
agitated and gold-green waters." 

POOL BELOW THE FALL. 

Below the fall, and flowing to tlie foot of the 
perpendicular rocks on the right, is a dark pool, 
perhaps an hundred feet across, and from twenty- 
five to forty feet in depth. 

Large masses of rock are frequently dislodged 
from the lofty banks, by the action of the winter 
frost or summer rain, and thunder downward to 
the ravine below. 

THE LADY OF THE MIST. 

On the right (or north) of the fall may be seen, 
when the water is low, a wonderful specimen of 
Nature's handiwork. It is the apparent represent- 
ation in the rock of a female, in a half sitting, half. 



22 THE GOTHIC DOOR. 

reclining posture, one hand resting on tlie rock by 
her side, while with the other she withdraws her 
drapery from contact with the mist and spray. 
Upon her head is an Egyptian head-dress,* or, as 
it sometimes appears, a helmet, resembling those 
seen in ancient pictures of Minerva. 

This wonderful conformation in the rocks was 
first noticed in 1865, by Colonel T. A. Merriman, 
of Auburn. The remarkably distinct outlines of 
the figure can be easily traced by the visitor stand* 
ing a fourth of a mile away on the bank in front of 
the Taughannock House. 

THE GOTHIC DOOR. 

Towering far upward on the right of the fall is 
a deep indentation in the rocks, bearing a striking 
resemblance to a gigantic Gothic door, its lofty 
arch rising higher than even the fall itself This 
singular formation is alluded to in the beautiful 
poem by Mr, Parker : 

" I love to think that in thy rocky walls, 

Where stands the strangely perfect Gothic Door, 

* " Such as are seen on the numerous bas-reliefs in the catacombs, 
and among the ruins of Egypt." 



MR. Welch's account. 23 

The genii have reared their magic halls, 

With crystal column and with pearly floor." 

On account of the frequent changes, produced 
by the crumbling away of the rocks, tlie Gothic 
door has lost much of its symmetry and beauty, 
but the resembhince is still easily traceable. 

The following extract is from the correspondence 
of the Neio- York Ohservev. 

MR. WELCH'S ACCOUNT. 

" But there is a feature of the lake scenery yet in 
store for us, surpassing any thing that we have seen, 
alas, too often unknown to the tourist, and therefore 
passed by unnoticed, which would itself repay the 
traveler for a journey across the State, if there were 
nothing else worth seeing along the entire way. I 
refer to Taughannock Falls, ten miles below the head 
of the lake. 

'• The steamboat landing is unpretentious and by 
no means attractive ; but the number that land there 
is steadily increasing, and will continue to hereafter, 
as it becomes better known, until the accommoda- 
tions shall become the best on the lake. 

" A few rods from the shore, and cpiite out of sight 



2 J: ME. Welch's account. 

from tlie steamer, the tourist is suddenly confronted 
by the mouth of a grand gorge, three hundred feet 
deep, perhaps one third as broad — between perpen- 
dicular walls of solid rock, with a waterfall pouring 
down its rocky bed. This gorge extends back for a 
mile, deepening and widening into the heart of the 
mountain with fantastic curves and overhanging 
cliffs, and a frontlet of pines on either brow. The 
adventurous pedestrian may thread the entire gorge 
with, perhaps, the single risk of wet feet as he passes 
from island to island on the way. 

" Before he reaches the second or grand fall, he 
will observe an almost perpendicular ladder of more 
than two hundred steps, ascending to the summit of 
the cliff. If he decline to thread the entire length 
of the ravine, he may make the circuit of the public 
road, the side of which borders the brink of the 
gorge, permitting him to trace its windings as he 
proceeds, and look down into its dizzy depths. 

'' Then he can descend from the road by the per- 
pendicular ladder to the bottom of the ravine on his 
way to the second fall. The gorge swells upward 
and around him into a magnificent amphitheatre, 
echoing and reechoing with the noise of the distant 
rapid and falh Suddenly there breaks upon his 



MR. WELCH S ACCOUNT. 25 

view a cataract, making a single leap of two hun- 
dred and fifty feet from a pathway sixty feet wide 
and a hundred feet deep, which it has cut through 
the solid rock. Sometimes, when the gorge is filled 
with water, it is a raging cataract, shaking the firm 
hills with its thunder. ISTow, when the stream is 
low, it forms one of the most beautiful cascades that 
any land can boast. It resembles the Dust-Falls of 
Staubbach, which is the pride of Switzerland ; though 
inferior in height, yet it is superior to it in some 
other respects ; its waters are nearer milky white, 
the height is not so great as to dash it completely to 
dew-dust in its fall ; it has just water enough to re- 
tain some consistency, and yet descent enough to 
make it thin, and light, and soft, as a pendent vail 
of snowy gauze, with which the air is fondly sporting 
and which occasional gusts from below lift into suc- 
cessive graceful snowy folds, inwrought with colors 
of the rainbow, which float awhile before tlie eye 
ere they sink into the seething lakelet that circles 
below. 'No words, however, can convey a just idea 
of the commingled beauty of cascade, precipice, clifl^, 
and gorge; the pencil has made the attempt, but, 
in the sketches I have seen, has sadly failed to do 
it justice. 



2G THE HERMIT. 

'' Opposite the fall stands the Tanghannock house, 
for the accommodation of visitors. From either story 
of the house the fall is visible, through the leafy trees. 
The easy swing and rustic seats are each arranged 
to command a peculiar Adew. The perfume of pine 
fills the air with healthy fragrance, and its whisper- 
ing music floats upon the breeze. Unpretentious 
but most satisfactory entertainment cheers the vis- 
itor, and prepares him for an after-dinner stroll to 
the third falls or succession of charming cascades, 
eighty rods beyond, which should by no means be 
neglected, for these alone are sufiicient to repay one's 
delay at Taughannock. 

" My only regret w^as that I must bid adieu so 
soon to the lovely scene. It was, however, with the 
firm resolve that whenever I might enjoy a sail over 
Cayuga Lake, I would not pass Taughannock by." 

THE HERMIT. 

In the summer of 1826, there appeared in the vil- 
lage of Trumansburgh a stranger. Kone knew, or 
could learn, who he was or whence he came. His 
wdiole history was shrouded in obscurity. The story 
of his former life he never told ; and even his name 
and home remained concealed. 



TPIE HERMIT. 27 

Seeking no associates, inviting no confidences, and 
seeming ever to avoid the society of men, the curiosity 
of the villagers suffered no abatement concerning 
him. To them he was an unsolved enigma. 

In a short time, however, the stranger disappeared, 
and for several days was unheard from ; but, on ac- 
count of his eccentric habits, little notice was taken 
of his departure. 

A. few days passed by, when a lad, wandering in 
the ravine of Taughannock, discovered the mangled 
body of the recluse, lying near the water, a short 
distance below the fall. 

His death was as mysterious as had been his life. 
'None ever knew, whether, attracted by the fascinating 
beauty of the cataract, he had ventured too far and 
fallen a victim to his rashness, or whether, weary of 
life, he had madly cast himself into this horrible 
abyss. 

By stranger hands the body of the poor unfortu- 
nate was buried, and no friend came to w^eep over 
his o-i'ave. He had lived unknown and unloved — he 
died unmourned. 

Sach w^as the sad, mysterious fate of the Name- 
less Hermit of Taughannock. 



28 CAVES. 



CAVES 



Not far from the moutli of the ravine, and half- 
way up the north bank, are three small caves, in 
length from forty to one hundred and fifty feet. 

They, with several others which have since been 
filled up, were excavated, some thirty years ago, by 
a superannuated Methodist minister, Hichard Good- 
win by name, who worked them with the expecta- 
tion of discovering a vein of coal. 

Although not extensive, these caves must have 
required in their formation severe and long-con- 
tinued labor. 

Comical stories are told of this curious old Rip 
Yan Winkle of the neighborhood, who, regardless 
of the sneers of his neighbors and the disappoint- 
ment resulting from his long and fruitless labors, 
still perseveringly and dogmatically grubbed away 
at the rock, even, as is said, to the day of his deatli. 

Once, and only once, was the old man blessed 
with the belief that his weary labors were about to 
be crowned with success, and even then he was 
doomed to experience a sad disappointment ; for 
some mischicA^ous boys had placed a few lumps of 



FIGHT WITH A BEAR AT TAUGHANNOCK. 29 

coal in one of liis cav^es, hoping thus to excite his 
expectations and stimulate him to future exertions. 

The upper and largest cave is the only one now 
visited, and even this is partially filled np at its en- 
trance. "When once inside the explorer is barely 
able to walk upright, and discovers the damp walls 
liung wdth bats, who are seldom disturbed by other 
visitors. 

In the ravine below, and not far from these caves, 
are two small sulphur springs. 

FIGHT WITH A BEAR AT TAUGHANNOCK. 

The following simple yet graphic account of a 
iiffht with a bear in the ravine of Tauo;hannock, 
was contributed by Mr. George Weyburn to the 
" I^ew-York State Historical Collections," published 
by John M. Barber and Henry Howe in 1844. 

It is amusing to note what importance this old 
veteran gives to the least incident of this great 
"'conflict,^'' which he describes with as much zeal 
and earnestness as if he were discoursing concerning 
a Waterloo, upon the issue of which the destinies of 
the world were depending. 

His enumeration of the numbers, positions, and 
arms of the combatants is worthy of a careful chro- 



30 FIGHT WITH A BEAR AT TAUGHANNOCK. 

nicler, and lie is unable to conceal liis joy when, 
after recommencing " the conflict," his friends are 
at length left " masters of the field.-' 

" One Sunday evening in October, about forty- 
seven years ago, as my father, ]\lr. Samuel Wey- 
burn, was returning from feeding his horse on the 
north side of the creek, near where the distillery 
now stands, his dog started up a bear and her two 
cubs. They followed their course up the hill on 
the south side of the creek until near the summit, a 
few rods above the mill-site fall, where the cubs 
took to a tree. My father ran to the house, and, 
having obtained his gun, pursued. Being directed 
by the barking of the dog, he passed about twenty 
rods beyond the tree in which the cubs were, and 
there he found the bear with her back ao:ainst a 
tree, standing on the brink of a gulf, defending 
herself from the attacks of the doo;. 

" lie fired, and, as it was afterward found, broke 
one of her fore-legs. The animal retreated into the 
gulf, and was seen no more that night. 

" In the mean time my mother, brother, and my- 
self, who had followed in the pursuit, came to the 
tree in which the cubs had retreated, who, being 
frightened at the report of the gun and the sound of 



FIGHT WITH A BEAK AT TAL'GHANXOCK. ol 

our voices, began to cry ''mam! mam!'' in the 
most affecting tones, strongly resembling the human 
voice. 

" My mother having called my father, he shot the 
cubs and returned home. The next morning, my 
father thinking that he had either killed or severely 
wounded the animal, for the want of a better wea- 
pon, (having expended his only charge of powder 
the evening previous,) took a pitchfork, and pro- 
ceeded in quest of the enemy, accompanied by my- 
self and brother. 

" I was armed with a small ax ; but my brother, 
not being equipped for war, was allowed to accom- 
pany us bare-handed. 

'' Thus accoutered and followed bv our dosf, we 
proceeded to within about forty rods of the great fall, 
when my father, apprised of the nearness of the 
enemy by the barking of the dog, ran and left us in 
the rear. 

" We soon came in sight of the bear and dog, who 
were passing from the left wall of the precipice 
across the basin to the right, and ascended almost 
to the perpendicular rock, a distance of eighty or 
one hundred feet. 

" My father, climbing up lower down, was en- 



82 FIGHT WITH A BEAR AT TAUGHANNOCK. 

abled to intercept lier passage in consequence of 
her broken limb. 

" Here the action again commenced by his giving 
her three tlirusts with the fork. Tiie first and 
second were near the heart, the third struck her 
shoukler-blade, when she turned upon him, and he 
met her with a thrust in her face, putting out one 
of her eyes with one prong and tearing her tongue 
with the other. She then rushed toward him, his 
feet gave way, and as he fell she caught him by the 
clothes near his breast. 

" At this juncture he seized her and threw her 
below him. This he repeated two or three times in 
their descent toward the bottom of the ravine, dur- 
inpf which she bit him in both his loo's and in his 
arms. At tlie bottom, in the creek, lay a stone 
whose front was not unlike the front of a common 
cooking-stove, the water reaching to the top. Near 
this, four or five feet distant, stood a rock on the 
bank. Into this snuo^ notch it was his o-ood luck to 
throw his antagonist, with her feet and claws to- 
ward the rock in the stream. In this situation he 
succeeded in holding her, with his back to hers and 
braced between the rocks. AYith his left liand he 



DUKING HIGH WATER. 33 

held her by the back, and with his right held her 
by the neck, until I came np. 

I struck lier with all my might on the back with 
the ax. At this my father sprang from her and 
seized his fork. The bear turned toward us with a 
shake and a snort. I gave her a severe blow. She 
fell, but, recovering herself, endeavored to retreat. 
We recommenced the conflict, and ere long the life- 
less corpse of the animal proclaimed us masters of 
the held. 

The victory was dearly bought. The blood was 
running in streams from my father's hands, and 
from his limbs into his shoes. 

On examination, he found that she had bitten 
him in each limb, inflicting four ugly wounds at 
each bite, besides a slit in his wrist, sup]:>osed to 
have been done by one of her claws. 

DURING HIGH WATER. 

The scene is then one of surpassing grandeur. 

The rivulet of July or August, which murmured 
so musically along within its narrow channel, be- 
comes the tempestuous torrent, overwhelming with 
resistless might all which would obstruct its path. 

Like some wild and ferocious animal, wdiich has 
2 



34: ' DURING HIGH WATER. 

been tamed and reduced to servitude by tlie power 
of man, but now, frightened or enraged, he has be- 
come forgetful of all his former lessons, and, threat- 
ening with destruction all wlio endeavor to ap- 
proach him, riots unrestrained. Thus this little 
river, once a wild and ungoverned torrent, but 
since introduced by man into new channels, com- 
pelled to grind his grain, saw his lumber, press out 
his oil and wine, and make liis paper ; now, rising 
in sudden and fierce rebellion against him, has 
broken over the boundaries which he had placed, 
resumed its ancient channel, and, having thus es- 
caped from his hated dominion, rushes exultingly 
onward, breaking or bearing along with it the 
chains with which he has sought to impede its 
progress. 

The beautiful little cascade of summer, floating 
downward, as if on fairy wings, to the deep ravine 
below, tinkling upon the rocks with music like 
that which breathes from ^olian harps, half-hiding 
the granite wall with a vail of misty whiteness, its 
waters bright and pure, and clear as crystal, which, 
after falling, glides gently and noiselessly away to 
the bosom of the lake beyond ; this we behold no 
more. 



WINTER BEAUTIES. 85 

Tlie scene is wonderfnlly changed ; and were it 
not for the eternal rocks, we conld imagine that 
another landscape was stretched ont iDefore ns. 

The rushing river, unrestrained by its narrow 
channel, has swept away the rustic bridges, and 
overflowed the winding paths by which we ascend 
to the foot of the fall. 

" Lo ! where it comes like an eternity, 
As if to sweep down all things in its track, 
Charming the eye with dread — a matchless cataract." 

The ravine is filled with the sound of rushino: 
floods. 

The majestic column of water swells into grander 
proportions, while the voice of the cataract, grow- 
ing hoarser and more terrible, seems striving to 
rival the roar of the mighty IN^iagara. 

WINTER BEAUTIES. 

In many respects the winter beauties of Taugh- 
annock surpass those of summer, although each 
season has its peculiar attractions. 

In summer, the scene is one of unequaled beauty ; 
in winter, one of surpassing grandeur. 

A huge mass of ice, its base stretching out one 



S6 BREAKING UP OF THE ICE. 

liunclred feet from tlie foot of the fall, and some- 
times rising to tlie height of an hundred and fifty 
feet, towers iipw^ard like some mighty temple. Im- 
mense ice-pendants from above join the ice-moun- 
tain below, and form an appropriate tower to the 
crystal cathedral. Monstrous icicles, stretching 
doAvnward on all sides of the ravine, almost con- 
ceal its sombre walls. 

When the sun, piercing the wintry clouds, lights 
up this mountain and these towering walls of ice, 
tinging their tops witli crimson and gold, one can 
almost imagine that he beholds the magical palace 
of Aladdin, with gorgeous towers, and shining bat- 
tlements, and crystal columns crowned with gold. 

BREAKING UP OF THE ICE. 

The breaki-ng up of the ice in the spring affords 
another spectacle of grandeur and beauty. 

The water, gaining volume, falls farther forward 
than before, and dashes its weight against tlie 
mountain of ice below. This mass is gradually 
w^orn away, and innnense fissures are opened, 
through which the foaming and angry waters can 
be seen struggling to escape from their prison. 

IS^ow a huge mass of ice lunges slowly forward, 



THE TxVUGHANNOCK HOUSE. 87 

and is hurled over the precipice with a report 
which makes the surrounding hills reverberate. 
Now a succession of smaller fragments sends up 
sounds like the discharge of a park of artillery ; 
and, as the liner particles come rushing after, the 
listener can imagine that he hears the rattle of 
musketry intermingled with the roar of heavy 
ordnance. 

PICTURES OF TAUGHANNOCK. 

Excellent photographic and stereoscopic pictures 
of scenery about Taughannock have been obtained 
by Dr. J. Towler, of Plobart College, by Messrs. 
Tolles and Seely, of Ithaca, and other skillful 
artists. 

Messrs. Tolles and Seely have some beautiful 
views of the Falls and Ravine, which can scarcely 
be surpassed. 

THE TAUGHANNOCK HOUSE. 

The Taughannock House, a substantial and spa- 
cious wooden building, stands in a pleasant grove a 
short distance below the falls. Here the traveler 
alwavs finds excellent accommodations and an oblig- 
ino^ landlord. 

This pleasant hotel has recently been enlarged 



38 TAGHCAXIC FALLS. 

to double its former size and refurnished, and, un- 
der the management of its present popular pro- 
prietor, will continue to deserve and receive the 
patronage of the public. 

Immediately in front of the Taughannock House 
is the point referred to elsewhere for obtaining the 
best view of both ravine and fall. From the sec- 
ond and third stories of the Hotel, the falls may 
be indistinctly seen, half-concealed by the waving 
branches of the trees. 

THE SPRING. 

A little to the right is a deep notch in the ravine 
bank, where a flight of steps leads down to a cool, 
sparkling spring, unfailing even in seasons of the 
greatest drought. Here a large grape-vine, run- 
ning along the very brink of the precipice, serves 
as a protection to the visitor who wishes to peep 
over the edge of the bank. 

The foil-owing extract is from a pamphlet, de- 
scriptive of Cayuga Lake and the scenery along 
its banks, published by Munsell & Eowland, Al- 
bany, 1860 : 

"TAGHCANIC FALLS. 

The traveler who does not stop here denies him- 



VIEW OF CAYUGA LAKE. 39 

self tlie pleasure of seeing tlie most beautiful water- 
fall in the State. At a point about one mile up a 
wild but accessible ravine, the clear crystal stream 
pours over a shelf of rock in an unbroken, exqui- 
site vail of water' — the great distance (over two 
hundred feet) of its plunge, changing it to the 
dreamiest and most delicious cloud- work of spray. 
These falls have met delighted description from the 
skilled pens of Dr. Cheever, Mrs. Ellet, and many 
others who have not omitted to see this sweet sister 
of Niagara. There is just enough water ; more 
would chano^e the dream-like character of this sil- 
ver vail hung in a great dee]3 glen. At the 

TAGHCANIC HOTEL, 

kept by Mr. Halsey, will be found admirable ar- 
rano-ements of entertainment. It is of the best 
grade of hotels, and will be found to deserve this 
word of commendation." 

VIEW OF CAYUGA LAKE. 

A pleasant path, through the woods fragrant 
with the breath of the pines, leads us a short dis- 
tance below the Taughannock House, where, from a 
rustic seat agreeably situated in a shady nook, we 



40 VIEW OF CAYUGA LAKE. 

obtain a beautiful view of Cayuga Lake, recalling 
some of the most charming landscapes on the Hud- 
son. This is a picture which must be seen to be 
appreciated by the tourist, as no description of 
ours can do it justice. On either hand extend the 
bright shores, spotted with field and forest, while 
here and there arises the single spire of a little 
hamlet. 

Far away to the north is seen Marsh's Point,'- a 
favorite resort for summer excursionists, and on tlie 
opposite sliore, as if to extend friendly greeting, 
another long and slender point reaches out a spark- 
ling finger. 

Between these pleasant shores stretches the silver 
surface of Cayuga — queen of 'B.ve sister lakes, a 
glittering gem, set in a landscape only to be ap- 
preciated by the true artist. Here and there ap- 
pears a snowy sail, or a little steamer puffing slug- 
gishly along, with a cloud of black smoke following 
in her wake. 

For twenty miles or more, we can watch the 
shining wavelets circling with beauty the rocky 
blulfs, green meadows, and glittering headlands, 

* We would direct attention to beautiful views of Marsh's Point 
and surrounding scenery photographed by Messrs. Tolles and Seely. 



DEATH OF THE HORSE. 41 

until, in the dim distance, tlie waters are mingled 
with the sky. 

DEATH OF THE HORSE. 

A short distance below the hotel, an accident oc- 
curred in 1865, wdiich happily resulted in nothing 
more serious than the loss of a horse and buggy. 
The animal, becomino; frio-htened or fractious, be- 
gan to back toward the precipice. The driver had 
only time to disengage himself from the reins, in 
which he had become entangled, when horse and 
wagon together tumbled down the steep declivity 
to where the rocks rise perpendicular ; then their 
fall was unbroken until they were dashed upon the 
rocks hundreds of feet below and crushed into in- 
numerable fragments. 

Strange to relate, however, a violin, which was 
in the buggy, was preserved from harm by its case, 
and was recovered uninjured. 

The scattered fragments of the horse were col- 
lected and buried in the bed of the stream, where 
head and foot-stones were erected to mark his grave. 
Few of our cemeteries are more beautiful than the 
spot where the departed steed lies sleeping. The 
swiftly gliding waters murmur music above him ; 



42 ACCIDENT. 

from neighboring groves ^olian harps mingle their 
strains with the melody, while the fragrance of wild 
flowers perfnmes the air aronnd. 

ACCIDENT. 

There are two paths leading into the upper ra- 
vine, bnt the traveler will find the second easier in 
its descent. 

Xear the first of these paths, and not far from the 
fall itself, an accident occurred in the summer of 
1865. An Irishman, who visited the falls with a 
picnic part)^, in attempting to scramble down the 
bank here, lost his balance, and, b}^ alternate roll- 
ings and tumblings, w^as precipitated to the bottom 
of the ravine. Here, bruised and almost breath- 
less, he lay during a long and weary night, unable 
even to drag himself to the water, which was flow- 
ing near him. He managed to quench his thirst 
by dipping a broken branch in the stream and ap- 
plying the moistened end to his lips. After re- 
maining here for the greater part of the following 
day, he recovered himself sufliciently to crawl up 
the bank and to the Cataract House, where, ex- 
hausted and fainting, he was received and cared for. 



devil's puncpi-bowl. 43 



UPPER RAVINE. 



The upper ravine, altliongli its "banks are less ma- 
jestic, surpasses the lower in rustic beauty. De- 
scending the bank by an easy, winding path, our 
curiosity is aroused and our admiration excited by 
the wonderfully regular appearance of several 
smooth, deep hollows in the rock which constitutes 
the bed of the stream. These cavities form bowl- 
like bathing places, round and polished as if hol- 
lowed by the hand of art. The largest of these 
natural bathing-tubs, w^here the water revolves in a 
sort of miniature whirlpool, is called the 

DEVIL'S PUNCH-BOWL. 

We now descend to the brink of the Fall, and, 
crossing the stream, find ourselves upon Table 
Rock, so called from its resemblance to the well- 
known Table Rock at l^iagara. 

Our rock is a granite platform, immediately to 
the right of and almost level with the top of the 
Fall, with a narrow shelf projecting for several 
yards on the face of the massive wall beyond, along 
which the most venturesome visitors carry frag- 
ments of rock and drop them into the water below. 



u 



devil's pun-cii-bowl. 



A report like that of a rifle rises from tlie dark 
abyss. 

From this point is obtained a charming view of 
the lower ravine, the Taughannock House, and the 
lake in the distance. 

Eetracing our steps, and passing the Devil's 




Pmich-Bowl, we meet with one of the nhmerons 
pretty little cascades with which the upper ravine 
abounds. Thence a pleasant path leads us mean- 
deringly onward toward the second or Upper Fall, 
near where the stream first cuts its way into the rock. 



THE OLD GUN-FACTORY. 45 

Here, at a sudden turn, there bursts upon our 
view- a cataract, fifty feet in lieiglit, and of peculiar 
beauty. The water does not fall perpendicularly, 
but, dashed into foam, leaps madly from rock to 
rock until, as if ashamed of the efforts of its divided 
strength, collecting its forces in a narrow channel, 
it pours its fury upon the rocks below. 

On the left of this fall the smooth wall of rock 
rises in a beautiful curve, as regularly arched as if 
built by the hand of man. 

THE OLD GUN-FACTORY. 

A short distance above the second fall, and near 
the upper entrance to the gorge, stands a dilapidat- 
ed relic of the war of 1812, known as the " Gun- 
Factory." 

The building was erected in 1814 or 1815, and a 
company was at that time engaged in manufactur- 
ing guns under a Government contract. At the 
close of the war the company had a large number 
of guns partially completed, which, as the Govern- 
ment had no use for them, were boxed up and sent 
to an arsenal in Connecticut. 

After the war, the old gun-factory was for a long 



46 MEANS OF ACCESS. 

time unoccupied, but has siuce served as an oil-mill, 
a flax-mill, and a tobacco-house. 

MEANS OF ACCESS. 

During the summer season, Taughannock is 
easily accessible from all parts of the country, as a 
double line of boats on Cayuo-a Lake connects with 
the E'ew-York Central at Cayuga Bridge, and with 
a branch of the New- York and Erie at Ithaca. 

The ride over the clear and placid waters of the 
bright Cayuga afl'ords pleasure enough of itself to 
repay the traveler for all the expense of his journey- 

The steamboat company are now building a new 
passenger-boat to take the place of one of the old 
steamers. 

In winter Taughannock is more difficult of ap- 
proach, as for two months Cayuga Lake is closed 
by ice; but a line of stages from Ovid to Ithaca 
connects with conveyances from the Seneca Lake 
boats, thus opening another pleasant way of ap- 
proach to Taughannock. 

These steamers can always be relied upon, both 
during summer and winter. In 1865, one of them. 
Captain Dey's boat, did not lose a single trip dur- 
ing the year. 



TAUGHAN}(OCK BY MOOIS^LIGHT. 



BY 



I ONCE saw Taughannock by moonlight, and shall 
never forget the impression it made npon me. It 
forms one of my memory pictures which never can 
fade away, and which I love frequently to revert to. 

As our carriage rolled along the smooth road 
skirting the ravine, and we passed now beneath the 
shadows of dark pines, now over a strip of bright 
moonlight, I was continually leaning from the w^in- 
dows, watching the constant alternation of light 
and shade. The wheels bowled along so smoothly 
it seemed as if we were moved by enchantment. I 
couldn't help comparing our little company to a 
group of fairies hastening to a midnight revel in a 
coach drawn through the air, 

"Over hill, over dale, 

Through bush, through briar, 
Over park, over pale, 

Through flood, through fire/' 



48 TAUGHANNOCK BY MOONLIGHT. 

Surely, never Titania or Oberon sported on a 
pTeen beneath a more dazzlin^c flood of moonlio-lit. 

We whirled around corners, glided in and ont, 
following the windings of the ravine of whose 
black depths I canght a shuddering glance now 
and then, until finally the forest closed in on both 
sides, the rays of the moon struggled in vain to 
penetrate the tliick branches, and we rode in si- 
lence, ascending and descending several slight ele- 
vations, lialting at last with the quietness that had 
hitherto characterized our course, at the broad 
piazza fronting the Cataract House. 

The song of the 

" Cadenced white waterfall, silvered and curled," 

reached us in subdued utterances, as if the moon 
had laid a spell upon it, and the voices of the 
water-spirits M^ere low in consequence. Crossing 
tlie open space in front of the liotel, Ave seated our- 
selves upon the verge of the ravine, reverently pre- 
pared to look and listen. The fall was visible, 
silvered at the top where the moonlight struck it, 
and dropping away into shadowy indistinctness ere 
it reached the stream below. The sigh of the night 
breeze, mingled with the ceaseless murmur of the 



TAUGHANNOCK BY MOONLIGHT. 49 

cascade, seemed tlie only sound awake in the wide 
world. 

Far down tlie dark abyss beneath ns, and away 
lip into the infinitude above us, we looked, feeling 
our littleness. 

A still, small voice seemed sounding in our ears 
the praises of Him who created the world, reared 
its venerable forests, fashioned its wondrous and 
beautiful adornings, piled up its mountain heights 
heights and scooped out its deep-cut ravines. 

At first there was a spell upon every tongue, and 
no word was uttered ; then we began to talk in 
whispers, and, the seal of silence once removed, it 
was not long ere there was a mingling of voices 
and an interchange of opinion witli regard to Taugh- 
annock. 

'' Beautiful ! isn't it ?" 

" Heavenly !" 

" Divine !" 

" Shall we descend and pay Undine a visit ?" 

" Where do you suppose her grotto is situated ?" 

'' Oh ! beneath that clifi' yonder, where the water 
shoots over and the spray rises." 

Undine ! The name called up a host of shadowy 
dreams. I saw the doomed maiden floating on the 
2* 



50 TAUGHANNOCK BY MOONLIGHT. 

curling spray, her pale hair imbonncl, her sad face 
turned toward us. 

Surely, I thought, the spirits that haunt each 
rippling stream must love to congregate in such a 
spot on such a night as this. 

Misty and indistinct as the waterfall seemed, 
there was yet enough of it visible to charm and 
enchain us to the spot for hours. 

" Les trois Soeurs,^^ with sweet voices and charm- 
ing faces, sang a duet about '^ Moonlight, music, 
love, and flowers," and never w^as melody more in 
tune with the harmonies about us. 

The sentinel trees ranged along the edge of the 
ravine stood stately and dark in the full glow of 
the moon, like sturdy guardians whose vigils might 
never for an instant relax. When we moved about, 
the last year's foliage of the pine lay soft and 
smooth beneath our feet, and its aromatic odors 
filled the air. 

There were strange whisperings overhead, as if 
the Dryads were interchanging their nightly com- 
munications. 

I know not how late we might have remained 
had not an evil spirit prompted some member of 
the company to look at his watch, 



TAUGHANNOCK BY MOONLIGHT. 51 

" Eleven o'clock !" 

"Impossible !" 

With tlie settled conviction that his watch had 
beaten old Time by at least a couple of honrs, every 
time-piece in the party was consulted, but alas ! 
each told a similar story. One more look. at the 
silvery sheen of the falling waters, one long and 
lingering look to imprint the scene upon memory, 
one moment of eager and intent listening to catch 
the song those w^aters are forever singing, and we 
are driven slowly away with many a backward 
glance at the quiet hotel with its surroundings of 
" forest primeval." 



VIEWS. 



VIEWS FROM ABOVE. 

Oke of the best imobstracted views from tlie top 
of tlie bank, is obtained from the rustic seat imme- 
diately in front of the hotel. Here, across the tre- 
mendous gulf which yaw^ns before us, we behold the 
falls in the distance, their mighty walls of granite 
guarding them on either side. We behold the 
'' Gothic Door," opening grandly, on the right, and 
the " Lady of the Mist," sitting meditatively near 
the foot of the fall. This is also a favorable position 
for viewing the beautiful lower ravine. 

From this point was painted one of the best pic- 
tures of Taughannock — a large oil painting, by that 
talented artist, J. C. Beardsley, of Ithaca. Mr. 
Beardsley excels in landscape painting, and has made 
many beautiful studies at Taughannock. 

A few rods south-west of the Taughannock House, 
near the spot where once stood another hotel, called 



VIEWS. 53 

tlie " Falls House," we obtain a nearer view of the 
fall, wliicli is preferred by some to that in front of 
the Cataract. The prospect of the ravine, however, is 
more limited, in consequence of its curving suddenly 
to the left, and it is impossible to appreciate here 
the height of the bank upon which we are standing. 
We have a fine view of the pool beneath the fall, and 
of the towering bank opposite. 

A little further up-stream is a steep path, leading 
downward almost to the edge of the perpendicular 
wall rising from below. Here the venturesome trav- 
eler will discover another beautiful view of the fall. 
This spot was once the scene of a sad tragedy. 

Directly beneath this point was discovered the 
body of the stranger to whose mournful fate we have 
alluded elsewhere. 

As at Niagara the best points for viewing the 
falls are found on the Canada shore, so here, as the 
water falls almost facing the northern bank, it is 
impossible to obtain a satisfactory view of Taughan- 
nock from the southern. There is, however, one 
view from that side which is worth mentionino;. It 
is obtained by standing near the edge of the over- 
hanging bank, nearly in line with the fall itself, and 
apparently almost directly above it. This position, 



54 VIEWS. 

however, is not an entirely safe one, as portions of 
tlie projecting rock fall every year. 

BEAUTIFUL VIEW. 

'Not far from tlie top of the fall, and the first path 
for descending to the stream above, is the best point 
for obtaining a view of that magnificent gnlf, the 
lower ravine. 

We have never seen a painting or a good stereo- 
scopic view of this scene, althongh several artists 
have endeavored to obtain one ; but we know of no 
landscape wliicli would make a more beautiful pic- 
ture, if it could be successfully transferred to canvas. 
The massive granite walls, on either side, diminish- 
ing in the distance ; the dark pool, three hundred 
feet beneath, from which a sparkling cloud of foam 
arises ; the stream below, no longer disturbed by the 
terrible fright of its fall — a thread of silver winding 
away among the evergreens ; and a bird's-eye view 
of the beautiful Cayuga in the distance ; all these 
commend this favored sj)ot to the attention of the 
artist. 

These are the most favorable positions from which 
to survey the cataract and ravine from above. 



VIEWS. 55 

VIEWS FROM BELOW. 

The view of the fall from the ravine, however, 
is the only one with which we are entirely satisfied. 
Here alone we are fully impressed with the over- 
powering sublimity of the scene, and while we can 
not but admire its beauty, its grandeur fills us with 
awe. 

IS^one of tlie views from above afford us an ade- 
quate idea of the height, breadth, or beauty of the 
fall, but from below it stands out in all its magnifi- 
cent proportions, a masterpiece of nature's handi- 
work, painted upon the face of the mighty rocks, 
with lofty and overhanging cliffs to mingle in due 
proportions the lights and shadows. 

A near approach to the " Lady of the Mist," con- 
fuses to our sight the outlines of her figure, and we 
discover that in this instance — 

" Distance lends enchantment ; " 

but tlie Gothic Door rises grand and gloomy above 
us, like the dilapidated portal of some gigantic cas- 
tle of the olden time. The pool, which looked so 
small from above, swells into quite a lakelet, ex- 
tending a stone's throw from the foot of the fall. 



HISTOEICAL. 



It would be but a pleasant task to retrace tlie his- 
tory of Taiigliannoclv, tbroiigli the ages which have 
passed since first its waters began to flow, to learn at 
what period, and with what rapidity, it formed, 
first a succession of rapids, and, finally, this majestic 
cataract ; to know what nations and tribes have in 
turn dwelt along its banks, and held sway over 
these pleasant shores. 

The beautiful and apj^ropriate name of the Falls, 
we are well aware, descends to us from the Ameri- 
can Indians, and Dr. Hamilton has given us a 
charmino; leo;end of the manner iu whicli the Dela- 
ware name, Taughannock, coane to be applied to 
this cataract in the country of the Iroquois, or Six 
Nations. 

But there are many and indubitable evidences 
that before the time of the Indians, other and more 
civilized races claimed this country as their own. 
Mementoes and monuments of a strange unknown 



HISTORICAL. 57 

people are scattered over our country, from tlie 
Atlantic to the Pacific, and from Lake Erie to the 
Gulf of Mexico ; but none can tell their history, or 
to whom we owe their existence. 

Eetween the Lakes Cayuga and Seneca, and 
along Lake Erie, were discovered the remains of 
many of those mysterious, ancient fortifications, be- 
longing to an age so remote that even the tongue of 
tradition is silent concerning them. 

Various theories have been advanced in regard to 
the origin of these unknown nations of the past, and 
the time at which they inhabited this country, but 
it is doubtful whether we shall ever be able to de- 
termine accurately concerning oitlier of the points 
in question. 

In later years we know that this beautiful country 
was the home of the Cayugas and Senecas, the chief 
tribes of the great Iroquois confederacy, who doubt- 
less built their wigwams along the banks of the 
Taughannock. 

The spot which is now a place of popular resort 
for the votary of pleasure, w^as then a favored 
haunt of the simple child of nature. AVhere the 
devotees of fashion ''wind 'mid the mazes" of "the 
Lancers," the painted warriors then brandished 



58 HISTORICAL. 

tlieir hatchets in the war-dance ; and instead of the 
SAveet notes of the lute or viol, floating throngh the 
brilliant ball-room, the shrill whoop of the savage 
runo; thronf»:h the forest. 

But the emotions of the lieart remain the same, 
and where now the proud beauty twirls her fan, and 
listens, with half-concealed contempt, to the familiar 
tale of another suitor, the modest Indian maiden, 
her dark cheek tinged with a deeper hue, acknow- 
ledged her first and only love. 

'No doubt the wild " children of the forest" 

" Felt awe as deep and reverential love," 

toward the Great Spirit, whose hand they recog- 
nized in the works of nature, as do many of their 
more enlightened pale-faced conquerors, who boast 
so loudly of their mental and moral superiority. 

In no other part of North-America had the abori- 
gines made such advances in civilization as upon 
the shores of these lakes and in the Genesee coun- 
try. Those of our readers who have been accus- 
tomed to think of the Indians as wild and savage 
warriors will be astonished to learn how far they 
had advanced in the arts of peace. " 

* Vide Trans. N. Y. State Agricultural Society, Vol, X. 1850, p. 3S0. 



HISTOEICAL. 69 

We quote from an aiitlientic account of General 
Sullivan's expedition against the Indians, in 1779 : 

" After tlie battle at JSTewtown [now Elmira] tlie 
American army pressed forward between Cayuga 
and Seneca lakes, driving the Indians before them. 

" Here the lands were found to be cultivated, 
yielding corn abundantly. Extensive orchards pre- 
sented fine fruits to the invader. The apple, pear, 
and plum were abundant. A regularity in the 
arrano'ement of their houses indicated lons^-con- 
tinned prosperity and enjoyment of property. Many 
houses were rudely framed, with chimneys, ^nd 
some few were painted. All, however, were des- 
troyed." 

We are informed, by early settlers, that, at the 
time of the first emigration of the whites into this 
region of country, there were unmistakable evi- 
dences that a large and long-established Indian 
Village had existed on the point now known as 
Goodwin's, below Taughannock Falls. At the time 
of the coming of the whites the village had been 
abandoned, probably on account of the gradual 
decimation of the tribes, but the Indians still culti- 
vated corn-fields on this point, and had also an 
orchard here. 



60 INDIAN ORCHAED. 

For many years liatcliets and other Indian imple- 
ments would often be turned up bj the plow, and it 
was no uncommon thing for laborers in the corn- 
fields to discover quantities of the wampum, or 
large red beads, used as money by the Indians. 

INDIAN ORCHARD. 

The Indian apple orchard was near the month of 
the stream, and some of the trees were standing only 
a few years ago. 

It was supposed by the settlers that this orchard 
was cut down at the time of Gen. Sullivan's expe- 
dition in 1779 ; and that new trees sprouted up 
from the old stumps. This opinion was strength- 
ened by the fact that frequently two or three trees 
grew together in a cluster, as if springing from a 
common root. These apple-trees grew to an un- 
usual height, and several old settlers bear testimony 
that they produced excellent fruit. 

A tree from this orchard was once transplanted 
by Abner Truman^ (the revolutionary soldier from 
whom the villa2;e of Trumansburo^h derives its 

* The name was originally Tremain. It was corrupted in pronun- 
ciation to Truman, hence Trumansburgh. 



ORIGIN OF NAME. 61 

name) to liis garden, opposite the present Metlio- 
dist church. This venerable tree* has been very 
productive, and still stands, bearing fruit yearly. 

Mr. George Goodwin, of Jacksonville, relates 
that for a lono^ time after his father settled at " the 
Point," although the land had been nominally sold 
to the white men, the Indians claimed the fruit of 
the orchard as their own. They would even steal 
the apples before they were ripe, and it was several 
years before they ceased to be troublesome. 

ORIGIN OF NAME. 

Before Dr. Hamilton had investigated this sub- 
ject, many different views were entertained con- 
cerning the origin of the name Taughannock. 

Yarious attempts were made to discover in tlie 
word itself the reason for its being thus applied. f 
But the theories thus advanced, although ingenious, 
w^ere all open to objections. 

Probably there are few words for which a skillful 

* It is supposed to be nearly one hundred years old. 

I Mr. Bogart (vide quotation following) made the word to mean, 
" The Great Fall in the Woods." Dr. Geo. Copway, the Indian chief, 
thought it might mean, " The Crevice which rises to the Tops of the 
Trees." 



62 ORIGIN OF NAME. 

philologist could not discover some possible deriva- 
tion. 

We give a few names and terminations from 
which such an investigator might suppose a deriva 
tion for the name Taughannock : 

In the Algonquin, the word tahuun means wood ; 
olamehichuum^ high \ ])atiliaak^in^ thunder. In the 
Miami tongue forest is tmowonawkeice, in Delaware 
it is taihunah. Tahxxan, in Delaware, means wood. 
In the Dacotah dialect, tehaiiwaiikan means very 
high. 

Schoolcraft states that ^' the tribes generally 
dwelt on the banks of rivers, which were denoted 
by an inflection to the root form of its name, as, 
-annah, -annock^ -any, as heard in Susqueh-annah, 
Rappah-annock, and Allegh-any. 

" The termination of -aiun, or -atan, or -ton, de- 
notes a rapid stream or channel. In Iroquois, the 
particle on denotes a hill ; -och denotes forest." 

The following entry, was recently made in the 
reo-ister of the Tau2:hannock House, bv W. H. Bo- 
gart, Esq., of the New- York "Woeld": 

" Mr. Halsey requested Mr. Alfred B. Street, the 
distinguished poet, and myself, to ascertain what 
was the probable signification of the word Tagh- 



OEIGIN OF NAME. 63 

anic, by wliicli these very, very beautiful Falls are 
designated. Few tilings are so difficult as to gather 
from the conflicting dialects of the various tribes 
any accurate translation. 

" Mr. Street will do his portion of the task, set 
him by Mr. Halsey, in his own delightful manner, 
by ode or lyric worthy of the theme. I And in 
a dictionary of the Onondaga language, prepared 
by Jean Murinchau, a French Jesuit, the word 
dehemiah^ or dehennach, meaning, I believe, a Fall. 
In the Algonquin is the word taaJchan, v^]\\d\ is in- 
terpreted as Woods, and in the Mohawk, tung'kah, 
the explanation of which is Great. All these 
brought together are easily, in the changes of lan- 
guage and varieties of pronunoiation, rendered as 
Taghannic, or 

The Geeat Fall in the Woods ! 

which is the easy, and natural, and probable appel- 
lation given to it by the quiet, simple, unimagina- 
tive men, who once ruled and possessed all this 
land. 

'' William II. Bog art. 
" Aurora, Cayuga Lake, 
7th August, 1865." 



U li 



64 ORIGIN OF NAME. 

The name Taugliannock, like many others of a 
similar derivation, has been spelled and pronounced 
in a great variety of ways, and by scarcely two 
writers in the same way. 

After an examination of other Indian geographi- 
cal terms, and after consulting with gentlemen v^ho 
have long been familiar with Indian languages and 
dialects, we have adopted the orthography, Taugh- 
annoch^ as most in accordance with the structure 
of the language from which it is derived, while we 
believe it to be, also, the best sounding name of all 
those applied to the Falls. AVe thus preserve in the 
word the guttural aiigh^ and the termination annock^ 
analogous to Rappahannock, etc. 

Note. — for Indian geographical names, used in this book, compare 
" The League of the Iroquois," by Lewis H. Morgan, Esq., of Roches- 
ter. 



TAUGHAMOCK FALLS-CAYUGA LAKE. 

TRADITION CONCERNING THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME. 



BY D, n. HAMILTON, D.D. 



It is a curious question to tlie student of Amer- 
ican antiquities, and especially of Indian archse- 
ologv, how the Delaware name Taughannock came 
to be affixed to the most conspicuous and beautifnl 
water-fall in the country of the Iroquois or Six 
ISTations, and within the canton of the tribe of the 
Cayugas. 

Did the ancient Delawares once hold this coun- 
try, and did they then fix their name on these falls 
so firmly that the changes of war and conquest 
could not remove it, or was the liame the result of 
some later event ? 

A faint tradition is in favor of the former suppo- 
sition, but a more distinct one supports the latter. 



66 TAUGIIANNOCK FALLS— CAYUGA LAKE. 

Taughaiinock Falls is witliiii the territory for- 
merly owned by tlie Cayngas. Its name is ac- 
counted for, by liistory and tradition, in the follow- 
ing events. 

The Iroquois confederacy, by a series of con- 
quests, had extended its sway from Lake Superior 
and the Mississippi to Massachusetts Bay, and from 
Canada to the Potomac and Ohio. Ii: fact, they 
held the Indians of almost the whole continent in 
subjection, and exacted of them tribute, which 
some of theui pay to this da}^. 

After subduing the Adirondacs, the Ottawas, the 
Chippewas, and the Algonkins, of the north ; the 
Mohegans, the Manhattans, and the J^assachusets, 
on the east ; the Cries, Miamies, and the Illini, on 
the west, and the Shawnees, on the Ohio, they con- 
quered also the Delawares, reduced them to ^'Tich- 
atains^^ and took from them all authority in war 
or council, stigmatizing them as women. This took 
place at an early date. The Delawares were a 
powerful tribe situated on the Delaware and Sus- 
quehanna rivers, and in early times were formi- 
dable in the chase and on the war-path, and famed 
for their wisdom in the council. Of their mauy 
heroes, Tammany has left the proudest name. 



TAUGHANI^OCK FALLS — CAYUGA LAKE. 67 

Tammany, like Powhatan, was a great cliaracter 
at tlie time of the first coming of Europeans, and 
died at an advanced age in 1680. 

Taghcanic, or Taughannock, or Tancahanac, was 
the name of a race of chieftains wlio ruled before 
the days of Tammany, and gave their name to sev- 
eral streams in the country where they lived. 
Some of these still remain as the names of branches 
of the Susquehanna and Delaware rivers. 

They were supplanted in their chieftainship by 
Tammany and his successors, probably by some an- 
cestor of the renow^ned Tammany, who has been 
canonized as St. Tammany, and is the presiding 
genius of so many halls, cabals, clubs, and political 
conclaves, especially of the well-known Tammany 
Hall, New^-York. 

The reign of the Tammanys seems to have been 
long, and w^as in the height of its ascendency, when 
they were overthrown by the more powerful Iro- 
quois. 

Falling before this mighty foe, they still retained 
their ancient pride ; for Tammany made himself 
famous by his battles with the conquerors, and tra- 
dition states that he never had his equal in the 
chase or on the war-path. 



68 TAUGHANNOCK FALLS — CAYUGA LAKE. 

While liis people perislied by tlie hand of the 
enemy, his own fame remained midimmed. Prob- 
ably he is known farther and honored more for the 
sad fate of his nation, so that their disaster was his 
glory. 

After the Delawares had been conquered by the 
Six Nations, a controversy arose between the chiefs 
of the former tribe and the Governor of Pennsyl- 
vania, concerning the transfer of some lands at the 
forks of the Delaware. The wdiites appealed to 
the Iroquois, who decided that they had fairly pur- 
chased the lands in dispute, and sent Canassatego,"^' 
a chief of the Onondagas and a cotemj^orary of the 
s:reat Loo:an, to inform the Delawares of their de- 
cision. 

Canassatego appeared in Philadelphia with two 
hundred and thirty warriors. He told the Gover- 
nor that the Delawares were in the wrong ; that 
the Iroquois had long before subjugated them, and 
reduced them to the condition of w^omen ; that 
they had no right whatever to say any thing about 
lands, or to appear in councils. Then, turning to 

* For a full history of Canassatego, see Mr. Clark's " Hi.^^ory of 
the County of Onondaga." 



TAUGHANNOCK FALLS — CAYUGA LAKE. 69 

the Delaware chiefs present, he poured forth a 
fierce torrent of invective against them and their 
race, stigmatizing them as dishonest cowards, un- 
worthy of the name of warriors, and therefore to 
be known as icomen. 

In conclusion, he commanded them to deliver up 
to the whites the lands in dispute, which command 
the unhappy Delawares, unable to resist, were con- 
strained to obey. 

The whole speech of Canassatego both to the 
Governor of Pennsylvania and to the Delawares, 
may be found in Colden's Six Nations^ and in 
Drake's Book of Indians^ Book Y., chap. 2. 

The effect of this rebuke and taunt was over- 
whelming on the poor remnants of the once mighty 
Delawares, and they shrank away and fled to the 
interior to be lost in other tribes. 

They had become, no doubt, dissipated, demoral- 
ized, and wasted by their intercourse with the 
whites, as well as humbled by the sway of the Six 
Nations, or Mingoes, as they were called by the 
Delawares, yet there was not wholly lost in that 
poor tribe the '^ blood of noble breeding," nor the 
sj)irit of the olden days. 

A young chief of the ancient line of Taughan- 



70 TAUGPIANNOCK FALLS— CAYUGA LAKE. 

nock was in that company, and e^'ery word of tlie 
sarcastic and reproacliful speech of Canassatego, 
the proud Iroquois, stung him to the quick. 

The shame of his race was a humiliation, and the 
haughty scorn of the Onondaga chief burnt into 
his soul. He vowed revenge, and collecting a few 
young warriors, they held a war-dance around the 
council-fire, and yelled their rage, and hurled their 
hatchets, and howled their vengeance, and enacted 
their mimic strategy — attack, grapple, slaughter, 
and victory, till the night was far gone. Then, 
filled with frenzy and panting with fiendish fury, 
they dashed forth on the war-path, nearly two hun- 
dred strong, and, traversing forest and mountain, 
crossing streams and gorges, made their way to- 
wards the canton of the Cayugas, intending a raid 
through the heart of the Iroquois country. 

They passed Wyoming and Owego, and took the 
trail for Cayuga Lake, plotting to fall upon the In- 
dian towns lying around it, especially Neodakheat^ 
(Ithaca,) Deowendotey (Aurora,) and Genogeli, (Ca- 
noga.) Fearing, however, to attack E'eodakheat, 
they turned to the left, and, pursuing their way 
northward, entered the Cayuga country lying be- 
tween Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, meaning to make 



TAUGHANNOCK FALLS — CAYUGA LAKE. 71 

an attack on Genogeb, and tlien rush back and fall 
upon N^eodaklieat. 

They encountered, however, an nnexpected re- 
sistance from some smaller settlements of Indians 
situated in the regions where Trumansburgh, Ferry, 
Mecklenburgh, Farmerville, and Lodi have since 
been located. These Indians were both Cayugas 
and Senecas ; the chief settlement''^ of the foi'mer 
being between Perry and Mecklenburgh, while that 
of the Senecas was betw^een Pratts and Farmerville. 
The two tribes were, however, much intermingled, 
and assumed a name indicative of their origin, 
calling themselves Ganungueuguch, that is, Sene- 
cayugas. 

This union w^as brought about, for the most part, 
by an aspiring and talented young chief, whose fa- 
ther w^as a Seneca and whose mother was a Cayuga. 
The name of the chief and of the community — for 
they never rose to the full dignity of a tribe — was 
derived from Ganundesaga, (Seneca Lake,) and 
Gueuguch, (Cayuga Lake.) Ganungueuguch was 

* Traces of this Indian settlement, together with an ancient forti- 
fication, may still be seen on the ftirui of Mr. "Wm. Carman, near 
Perry City, 



72 TAUGHANNOCK FALLS— CAYUGA LAKE. 

the Indian name of the chief, the settlements, the 
people, the stream, and of the Falls. 

This chief gave his name to the river npon which 
he dwelt, just as Powhatan''*' left his name to the 
river and the country where he lived. 

These two settlements, the one of Cajngas and 
the other of Senecas, consisting each of from four 
to six hundred souls, formed a very considerable 
community. They were made rich and happy by 
the abundance of game and of wild fruit, for which 
this region was famed among all the tribes. 

On findino: a hostile band of Delawares armed 
and painted for war passing through their immedi- 
ate neighborhood, they took the alarm, ralHed 
under their chief, Ganungueuguch, and made an in- 
effectual attempt to repel them. 

The determined foe, however, after doing them 
some damage, pushed by them with little loss. 

They sent messengers to Geiiogeh, the home of 
Hed Jacket, and to Deowe?idote, and to Neodciklieat^ 

* "What a pity that the name Powhatan was ever abandoned for 
James River ! And we can hardly withhold regret that the name 
Senecayuga, instead of Taughannock, was not retained for these 
falls ! 



TAUGHANNOCK FALLS— CAYUGA LAKE. 73 

informing their friends and allies tliat an enemy 
was in their land. 

Before the Delawares arrived at Genoo-eh, word 
had been sent to Owasco, (now Anburn,) and to 
Onondaga, the home of Canassatego, informing him 
that his most bitter foes were on his track thirsting 
for revenge. 

Starting from his security, and gathering a band 
of warriors around him, he hastened to Owasco and 
rallied a few more of his followers. Crossing the 
lake at "Wasguas,^ he arrived with his men at Ge- 
nogeh, where the inhabitants had already been 
alarmed and were awaiting him in council. 

Red Jacket,f then a mere lad, was there, Geno- 
geh being his birthplace, and thus early became fa- 
miliar with warlike councils, in which in after years 
he became so conspicuous as an orator. 

At the head of at least two hundred braves, Ca- 
nassatego marched from Genogeh southward and 
soon fell in with the enemy. There were frequent 
skirmishes, the Delawares always managing to keep 

* The Indian name for the spot now called Cayuga Bridge. 

f Eed Jacket (whose Indian name Avas " Sa-go-ye-wat-ha," " He 
keeps them awake ") was born near the famous spring of Cauoga, in 
1750. 



74 TAUGHANNOCK FALLS — CAYUGA LAKE. 

a way open for retreat. Being followed all day, 
tliey came at niglit to tlie stream which we have 
seen bore the name of Gannnguengnch, or in Eng- 
lish, Senecayuga, as indicating the fact that it 
flowed through the territories of two tribes and was 
in part named by both. 

The Delawares pitched their night-camp, without 
fire, between Perry and Waterburgh. Here on the 
morrow they found themselves confronted by a band 
of the ^eodakheats, (or Ithacans,) who were just 
on the other side of the stream. Immediately they 
discovered the Ganungueuguch coming upon them 
from the west. At the same time the scouts of 
Canassatego were approaching on the north. 

Thus hemmed in, they had no retreat but toward 
the lake. Attempting this, Canassatego, by a sud- 
den advance, anticipated them and marched up to 
meet them on the left bank of the stream. 

The Ganungueuguch pressed in from the west, 
coming down on the left bank of the stream bear- 
ino; the same name, while the N^eodakheats were on 
the opposite (or south) side. 

The precise spot of the first encounter is un- 
known. Doubtless tlie confhct raged along the left 



TAUGHANNOCK FALLS — CAYUGA LAKE. 75 

bank, for perhaps a mile, from what is now Halsey- 
ville to the falls. 

The stream, being flooded by recent rains, could be 
crossed with difficulty, and the ]S"eodakheats, with 
their arrows and war-clubs, were ready to defend 
the other bank. 

Coming at length to the gorge above the falls, 
the unfortunate Delawares attempted to cross at the 
place wdiere W. B. Dumont's house now stands, but 
they were again j-epulsed. Driven along the shore, 
they pressed on toward the lake, feeling thankful 
that the ever-deepening gorge, with its precipitous 
rocks, defended them from one body of their foes. 
Approaching the falls,, they found their old foes, 
whom they had supposed to be behind them, were 
now in their front prepared to give them battle. 

Here, then, took place the last encounter. 

The young Taughannock and his band deter- 
mined to sell their lives as dear as possible. Death 
in some form was inevitable, and they resolved to 
meet it like warriors. 

In the encounter, Taughannock, striking down 
Ganungueuguch, sought to close with Canassatego 
himself. Breaking through the circle of braves 
which surrounded him, he precipitated himself, 



76 TAUGHANNOCK FALLS — CAYUGA LAKE. 

knife in hand, npon his deadly foe. lie inflicted 
several mortal wounds before he was finally over- 
powered and strnclv down by the attendants of the 
chief. 

Tradition tells ns that his bleeding but not yet 
lifeless body was thrown over the precipice into the 
depths below the falls, and that most of his band 
shared his fate. But few escaped. Some were 
taken and tortured. Two, who were strong and 
well-favored, were adopted by the Cayugas, who 
had lost friends in the battle. 

The more common version is, that Taughannock, 
after he was overpowered, was reserved for torture, 
and thus perished on the brink of the" falls ; that the 
Ganungueuguch, into whose country he had made 
his incursion, and whose chief he had killed, and 
especially the followers of Canassatego, on whom 
he had soui^ht and taken reveno;e, enoraored in the 
torture with unusual delight. That Tauochannock 
sang his death-song, defied his enemies, rejoiced 
that he had killed so many of the foes of his nation, 
hurled back defiance at his tormentors, and died 
with a bravery as savage as was the ferocity of his 
torturers. That when dead, his remains were not 
honored by being consumed by fire, as was usual, 



TAUGHANNOCK FALLS— CAYUGA LAKE. 77 

bat were thrown over the precipice, to be devoured 
by wild beasts or waste away iiiibiiried. 

Be these things as they may, thus came the Dela- 
ware name Taughannock to be affixed to the falls 
within the region of the Cayugas, and to supersede 
that of Ganungueuguch, or, in English, Senecayuga, 
which originally and more appropriately belonged 
to them. 

Nor is this derivation, or the history of this name, 
more strange than the manner in which Greek 
names were carried all over Asia and the East, by 
the expeditions of Alexander ; and the way in 
which the Latin language was extended by the Eo- 
mans over Western Europe, and even England. 

Taughannock fell, but his name lives in the falls, 
the most beautiful object in the country of his ene- 
mies, where he died to wipe out the disgrace of 
his nation's defeat and shame, and to avenge his 
own personal wrongs. 

Such is fame, whether m civilized or savage life. 
It is the cost of blood or toil that for the time 
seems to fall fruitless to the ground, but lives in 
after times, springing up and bearing the laurels of 
imperishable memories. 



GEOLOGY OF TxVUGHANNOCK. 

The following account of the geological features 
of the ravines at Taughannock, has been carefully 
compiled from several volumes of geological sur- 
veys, but principally fi'om the large work which 
forms Volume lY. of the Natural History of the 
State^ which contains a very full and accurate ac- 
count, by Professor Hall, of the formation of the 
Fourth Geological District, in which he treats at 
length of the structure of the rocks at Taughan- 
nock, and gives an engraving of the fall. 

The descriptions of the various formations are 
given nearly in the words of Professor Hall ; and, 
wdiile they are peculiarly valuable to the student of 
geology, they will be found interesting and instruc- 
tive to all. N 

It will be noticed that Taughannock affords a 
remarkable example of the power of comparatively 
small bodies of water to make vast excavations in 
the solid rock. 



GEOLOGY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 79 

GEOLOGICAL ACCOUNT. ■ 

Tangliannock, the highest perpendicular fall of 
water in the State, is one of the numerous cataracts 
of the Portage group. The upper part of tlie 
group, being composed of sandstone of a much 
harder nature than the lower part, produces cliffs 
and waterfalls in all the streams passing over it. 
N'owliere else do we meet with more beautiful cas- 
cades or more grand and striking scenery. The 
pedestrian often finds his course impeded by a gorge 
of several hundred feet in depth ; and in the very 
bottom of this, now scarcely perceptible, is the 
winding stream — the only representative of the once 
powerful torrent that has excavated the deep chan- 
nel. Farther on, above or below, he may see the 
little stream dashed over a precijDice, and almost 
disappearing in spray before it reaches the bottom ; 
here, however, it gathers itself in a deep j)ool, from 
which it flows on quietly as before, or gurgling and 
dashing through the fragments of the fallen cliffs, 
finds its way into the gently sloping valley of the 
softer shales. 

At Taughannock an immense chasm is formed 
into which the water descends perpendicularly two 



80 GEOLOGY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 

liimdred and fifteen feet, from tlie bottom of wliicli 
we see the amphitheatre of rocks rising around us, 
and, by the efi'ect of perspective, closing over our 
lieads. 

The bhack shale, visible for eighty feet above the 
Tully limestone, is succeeded by more than two 
hundred feet of the next series, consisting in the 
lower part of a mass of silicious shale, and above 
alternating with argillaceous sandstone. 

The surfaces of this rock are often rippled, and 
covered with minute fragments of vegetables, which 
seem to follow the course of the marking, and ac- 
cumulate or diminish with the ripple wave. The 
same appearance is presented by a beach of sand, 
where the ebbing tide leaves fine fragments of 
vegetable matter, arranged in cpiantity and direc- 
tion proportionate to the wave. 

One can almost fancy himself still upon the 
shore of some quiet bay or arm of the sea, where 
the waves of the receding tide have left these little 
ridges of sand, which on their return will be oblit- 
erated and mingled with the mass around. The 
shells and fragments and the clouded sand all lie 
around him with a freshness of appearance that 
might almost make him doubt. But his foot is 



GEOLOGY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 81 

upon the firm rock, and liis hand can not obliterate 
the faint wave-lines, nor remove a single shell from 
its place. 

Every thing is firm and fixed, and he is forced to 
recollect that millions of ages have rolled on since 
this shore was washed by the sea. 

How beautiful, how simple and grand is this ex- 
hibition ! and how much does it illumine the mind 
as to the mode of production of these older forma- 
tions which have been considered so obscure. 

Here was an ocean, supplied with all the materi- 
als for forming rocky strata; in its deeper parts 
were going on the finer depositions, and on its 
shores were produced the sandy beaches and the 
pebbly banks. All, for aught we know, was as 
bright and beautiful as upon our ocean shores of the 
present day ; the tide ebbed and flowed, its waters 
ruffled by the gentle breeze, and nature wrought in 
all her various forms as at the present time, though 
man was not there to say. How beautiful ! 

Although the rocks of this group have a thick- 
ness of one thousand feet or more, still they contain 
few fossils, and may be examined in many localities 
without discovering any. Indeed, unless very strict 
3* 



82 GEOLOGY OF TAtJGHANNOCK. 

searcli were made, one would be likely to pronounce 
tliem non-fossiliferons. 

In general cliaracter, tlie fossils differ essentially 
from those below. 

The Tally limestone and shale below disappear 
in Cayuga Lake, four miles below Ithaca, the black 
shale extending about two miles further south. 

These layers of sandstone furnish the finest flag- 
stones in the country, being of any required thick- 
ness, often twenty feet in length, and five to ten in 
width. 

The numerous and picturesque waterfalls of the 
western part of the State are intimately connected 
with the modern action of rivers and streams in ex- 
cavating and deepening their channels. That e very- 
fall of water is receding by wearing back its bed 
will admit of demonstrative proof, wherever obser- 
vations have been continued for anv leno'th of time. 
Even the short period of four or five years has 
been sufficient to show, in many instances, a con- 
stant, gradual recession, varying vrith the quantity 
of water and the nature of the rock. The greatest 
amount of water does not always, however, appear 
to be attended with the most rapid recession ; for 
where the stream is so small as to be entirely frozen 



GEOLOGY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 83 

during winter, the effects of ice on the strata seem 
even more efiicient than the wearing of water. 

The loosening of masses near the edge, at least^ 
enables the water afterward to remove them with 
greater facility. 

Where we find these falls upon streams half a 
mile from their jnnction with a large lake, it is 
difficult to conceive how they have once com- 
menced their operations on its margin, and we are 
readily disposed to admit any hypothesis that will 
account for the previous excavation of a lateral 
valley to this distance from the main one. Where 
these channels expand rapidly toward their outlets, 
and slope gradually npward, it seems a fair infer- 
ence that some agency other than the wearing of 
the stream has had a share in producing its pre- 
sent condition ; but where we find a regular chasm, 
with perpendicular and nearly parallel sides, with 
a fall of water at its extremity, we are compelled, 
from all analogy, to admit that the stream has been 
the agent producing it. 

At Tanghannock, there seems originally to have 
been a broad, shallow depression, in which the 
stream commenced flowing toward the lake. 

In its passage, it first produced a series of falls 



84 GEOLOGY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 

and rapids, but finally receded so as to form but a 
single fall. This is caused by the higher strata 
being so much harder than those below that a firm 
table is formed of these, while those beneath are 
undermined. 

Although there may have been originally an in- 
dentation at this point from the yalley of Cayuga 
Lake, vet there seems conclusive evidence that the 
stream has been the chief agent in producing this 
immense chasm. 

The numerous seams freely admit the water, 
which during winter is frozen, and thus from the 
whole face of the cliff immense quantities are de- 
tached. In this way the upper portion is left pro- 
jecting beyond the lower till it is broken off. 

The first process is constant ; and immense 
masses of fragments, some scarcely less than fifty 
tons, may be seen, which have fallen down. 

The lower of the two more prominent arenace- 
ous strata, about half way up the cliff", is the one 
presenting the fine casts of striae, alluded to in the 
description of these under Portage group. (I^at. 
Hist. K Y., Part lY. p. 336.) 

Beautiful specimens may be obtained at this 



GEOLOGY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 85 

place after tlie falling of a mass, or by approach- 
ing the stratum at some accessible point. 

Many of the strata in the channel of the stream 
above the Ml present these casts in great perfec- 
tion. 



POETRY OF TAUGHA^^XOCK. 



" Why ou Niagara lavish all your lays ? 
Come, heavenly Muse, and sing Taughannock's praise." 

SONG OF THE WATERFALL. 

BY MATTIE WIN FIELD TORRE Y. 

In the gloom and shade of the forest deep, 
Where the rocks lie piled in a frowning steep, 
Where the sun comes rarely nor lingers long, 
The waterfall chantcth its ceaseless song. 

** I come, I come ! from my rocky bed, 
Through the densest shade of the forest led ; 
'Neath the trailing boughs that are bending low, 
And the tangled grasses swift I go. 

"I rush through the caves where the shadows sleep, 
I glide o'er the pools that lie still and deep, 
I sparkle and dance in the sunlight gay, 
And murmur a song to beguile my way. 

"I come, I come! from the mountain height 
Where the sun rests warm as he sinks at night, 



POETRY OF TAUGPIANKOCIv. 87 

From the dewy mead and the flow'ry burn, 
I come, I come ! but I ne'er return. 

"In the sounding depths of this forest dim. 
Whose arches reecho my ceaseless hymn, 
I leap with a glad, an exultant song, 
O'er the fatal verge I have sought so long. 

"The dizzying whirl of the blinding spray 
Enshrouds me quite as I hasten away, 
'Neath the frowning banks that are high and steep, 
Till I lose myself in the lake so deep." 

The rays of the sun came shivering through. 
And the silvery vapors were curled anew. 
While the tide formed many a snowy wreath, 
Ere it broke in foam on the rocks beneath. 

And the headlong plunge of the ceaseless tide 
As it madly leaped down the chasm wide. 
With its endless din and its busy strife, 
Methought was an image of human life, 

TAUGHANNOCK— THE RIYER AND FALL. 

BY LEWIS HALSEY. 



Rippling and flashing, now, 
Foaming and splashing, now. 
Wanders the streamlet, its banks bright with flowers ; 



88 PDETKY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 

Skipping so merrily, 
Singing so cheerily, 
Lingers 'mid Nature's most beautiful bowers. 



II. 

Gleaming and glimmering. 

Shining and shimmering, 
Glowing with purity, splendor, and light ; 

Now sinking fearfully. 

Sadly, and tearfully. 
Into the depths of the gathering night. 



III. 

Dark cliflFs are covering, 

ShadoAvs are hovering 
Over the shivering streamlet below ; 

Terror soon banishing, 

Dangers all vanishing. 
Soon it subsides to its usual flow. 



IV. 

Eddying pettishly, 

Smiling coquettishly ; 
Now its waves rise again only to sink ; 

Sportively wandering. 

Seemingly pondering 
Whether to leap o'er the terrible brink. 



POETRY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 89 

Y. 

Shifting and shivering, 

Quaking and quivering, 
Glides the sad stream o'er the horrible steep ; 

No murmur muttering. 

Foamy wings fluttering. 
Sinking in mists to the darkening deep. 

VI. 

Oft we are wondering, 

Blind in our blundering, 
Whence is thy power to charm and delight ? 

Still thou art haunting us. 

Ever enchanting us. 
Vision of beauty which bursts on our sight ! 

VII. 

Emblem of purity, 

Through all futurit}^. 
While upon mortals thy beauties shall shine. 

Making us lowlier. 

Humbler, and holier. 
Nature's true worshipers ever are thine ! 

From Moore's Rural New-Yorker. 

TO TAUGHANNOCK. 

BY H. 

Bright visions — thoughts of beauty and of song. 
Come to my mind unbidden ; as I view 



90 POETRY OF TAUGHANJ^OCK. 

Thy gentle flow, thy silvery spray, thy rocks 

Majestic, and thy far extending chasm, 

Riven broad and deep by Nature's mighty hand. 

How many years have passed away, since first 

Thy waters gave this steep majestic plunge, 

No tongue can tell, no history can show. 

Perhaps 'since first Creations hand attired 

The dark and formless earth, and bade the streams, 

The rivulets, to spring from mountain sides 

To wander through the valleys to the sea, 

These rocks and woods have echoed mournfully 

Thy ceaseless roar, thy spirit-stirring song. 

May no rude hand mar thy wild loveliness ! 

But let the hearts of those, who, ages hence. 

Shall gaze upon thy wondrous sheeted form. 

Feel awe as deep, and reverential love, 

As did the wild untutored forest child, 

When he beheld, with mingled love and fear. 

Thy beauty-clad majestic cataract ; 

And well he loved to watch th}' ceaseless flow, 

And hear thy never silent thunder tones — 

Reclining 'neath the leafy forest's shade, 

And turning oft to view the pleasant shores 

Of bright Cayuga, which he loved to call 

His happy hunting-grounds. 



POETllY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 01 

ODE TO TAUGHANNOCK. 

BY LIDA MEDDIC. 

Poets have sung in rapturous numbers 

Of numerous famed cataracts over the world, 

But the Muses, methinks, are deep in their slumbers, 

If fJiy " cadenced white w'aterfall silvered and curled," 

Does not make them to sing, with a heart all aglow, 

Of the beauty above and the beauty below. 

With eyes far too dreamy for aught save thy beauty, 
I see the white column of watery snow. 
So slowly descending and ceaseless in dut}^. 
To join the swift rushing of wavelets below. 
That, by a charmed circle of silvery mist, 
Ever rising and tixUing, so often are kissed. 

I hear thy grand voice in melodious anthem. 

Resound with the praises of " God and the free," 

Amid the dim arches, and echo on echo 

Shall ever be heard by the evergreen tree. 

Of a song that is endless, a song that is true. 

Of a spirit that fosters the "red, white, and blue." 

sweet lovely scene ! for the high and the lowly, 
Thy phases so wondrous are made to exist ; 
Blessed boon ! to view the face of the Holy, 
In the hues of the rainbow or forms of the mist. 
Mixed with things of earth in compounds so rare. 
That with heaven and angels we seek to compare. 



92 POETRY OF TAUGHANNOCK. 

Imagery paints with warm, busy fingers, 
A picture for hope that vies with the past, 
And memory points, as the vision still lingers, 
To dreams far too bright and too lovely to last ; 
But thy name, dear Taughannock, shall never decay, 
And thy beauty grow brighter, as time wears away ! 

From the Ithaca Citizen and Democrat. 

EXTRACT FROM BOTANIZING. 
A Reminiscence of ]862. 

BY L. L. 

Soon, the narrow ledge behind them, 
They approach the great Taughannock : 
Hear the roaring of its waters. 
Like the sound of many thunders : 
See the sparkling foam-clouds waving, 
Like a vail of misty whiteness : 
See the mighty walls of granite, 
Towering upward, towering upward : 
See the waters leaping, dashing 
From the lofty ledge above them. 
Thoughts of grandeur and of beauty 
Fill each heart to overflowing. 
For the thunder of the waters 
Has a power like that of music, 
Breathes a fairy spell around them, 
Sends a thrill to every bosom. 



POETRY OF TAUGHANNOGK. 93 

Filled with awe, they gaze deh'ghted, 
And a still voice speaks within them — 
A small voice speaks gently to them — 
Low in tone but full of power: 

'' Glorious art thou, Taughannock ! 
In thy majesty and beauty, 
In thy wondrous weight of waters. 
In thy towering walls of granite. 
In thy ceaseless, wild commotion, 
In thy vail so white and misty. 
In thy rainbow-sparkling foam-cloud, 
In thy sweet, eternal music !" 

TAUGHANIC FALLS. 

BY KEY. HENKY PARKER. 
I. 

Ye bards and travelers ! Oh ! talk no more 

Of Scotland's misty crags, and linns, and lakes, 

Nor tell us how the waters at Lodore 

Come down, nor how the Rhine in fury breaks. 

Nor how, at Reichenbach, the torrents pour. 
And all the solid ground at Staubbach shakes : 

I care no more for these, nor sigh to see 

The Falls of Terni and of Tivoli. 

11. 
I've read enough of these, and seen Niagara, 
Which is the king of cataracts forever. 



94 POETRY OF TAUGIIANNOCK. 

And it is certainly a sight to stagger a 
Poor poet's or a painter's best endeavor ; 

And other falls I've seen, but such a crag or a 
Remarkable cascade, beheld I never. 

As that which gave me quite a poet's panic, 

When late I gazed upon our own Taughanic. 

III. 
Roll on, Taughanic's wild and shouting stream, 

Here darkly winding in thy gloomy deeps. 
And there reflecting back the sunny gleam 

That slants athwart the cliffs and dizzy steeps. 
As wild and varied thou, as is the dream 

That hovers o'er the couch where beauty sleeps — 
As wild and fearless thou, as those whose claim 
To this our land first gave to thee thy name. 

IV. 

'Tis sweet to look on thee when summer's morn 
Hath touched thy lordly battlements with gold, 

And when the mists, that of the night are born. 
In rosy wu'eaths and clouds are upward rolled ; 

'Tis sweet to see thy walls, with ruin worn, 

O'erhung with fragrant pines and gray with mould. 

All silvered with the moonbeams, cold and white, 

Or blushing in the torches' ruddy light. 

v. 
Thine amphitheatre, ascending wide. 
Calls up a vision of the storied past — 



POETRY OP TAUGHANNOCK. 95 

The chariots coursing swiftly, side by side, 

Within the Coliseum's circle vast. 
The gladiator who in silence died, 

The shower of garlands on the victor cast. 
The deadly stroke — the shout — the cruel throng — 
I gladly turn from thoughts of death and wrong. 

VI. 

I love to think that in thy rocky w\alls, 

Where stands the strangely perfect Gothic Dooi-, 

The genii have reared their magic halls, 
With crystal column and with pearly floor, 

And fountains, where the tinkling water falls. 
And arching roof, with jewels studded o'er — 

A mystic realm in secret silence bound, 

Until the spell to open it is found. 

VII. 

1 love to think that flitting fay and elf 

Are hidden in thy darkling nooks and dells, 

Or that, beneath the cascade's jutting shelf 
A spirit, matchless in her beauty, dwells, 

And wraps these misty robes about herself. 

And ever sings, and weaves her wondrous spells. 

Until revealed at some fond dreamer's call — 

The lovely Undine of the waterfall. 



TAUGHANNOCK HOUSE, 

TAUGHANNOCK FALLS, 
J. S. HALSEY, Proprietor. 



This favorite Hotel, having been this season enlarged, refitted, and 
refurnished, is now open for the accommodation of visitors. 

All that can make a hotel attractive and interesting to tourists or 
pleasure-parties may here be found. 

The Taughannock House is situated just opposite the Falls, two 
and one half miles from the village of Trumansburgh, and ten miles 
from Ithaca. 

Cayuga Lake boats, touching four times per day at the landing 
near the Falls, connect with the New-York Central and the New- 
York and Erie Railroads. A carriage will be in readiness at the land- 
ing to convey visitors to the hotel. 

The far-fiimed Cayuga offers ample accommodation to the sports- 
man for FISHING and boating. 

Being off from the line of direct communication with the Atlantic 
cities, near the banks of the beautiful Cayuga, surrounded by a pure, 
clear, and bracing atmosphere, it presents peculiar inducements to 
travelers in search of a healthful summer residence. 

Particular attention will be given to orders for rooms during the 
summer. Address, 

J. S. HALSEY, 

Trumansburgh, New- York. 



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